Meet Your Tour Consultant & GuideTamaryn “Tammy” Slieker
If your safari feels seamless from the first message to the final drop-off, there’s a good chance Tammy Slieker has been behind the scenes making it happen. Tammy is both a tour consultant and an experienced field guide, which means she understands your safari from every angle—planning, logistics, guest comfort, and what it takes to deliver a truly memorable day in the bush.
Tammy has been guiding since 2015 and brings a strong professional foundation to Wild Photo Africa, including FGASA NQF2, First Aid Level 2, Game Lodge Management, Wildlife Management, and specialised training such as venomous snake capture and handling (including black mamba) and accredited 4×4 driver training.
What makes Tammy’s Guiding Special
Tammy is passionate about the smaller, often overlooked details that turn a safari into something deeper—medicinal plant uses, subtle behaviour clues, and the fascinating mechanics behind bush sounds and calls. She loves helping guests “step into the mind” of the animal they are watching, interpreting behaviour in a way that makes each sighting more meaningful.
Her guiding style is best described as calm, observant, and immersive. She doesn’t rush or chase sightings—she creates a relaxed atmosphere where guests can fully absorb the experience, rather than ticking off someone else’s checklist.
Experience, Strengths, & Specialities
Tammy began her career on a Big 5 private reserve in the Eastern Cape, gaining experience across a wide range of safari activities—from vehicle-based safaris to forest walks, canoe trails, and even coastal walks. Over time, photographic guiding became a strong focus, and she continuously builds her knowledge of birding, trees, and plant life to enrich every safari.
Her key guiding strengths include:
Animal behaviour interpretation
Photographic positioning and understanding light
Family-friendly safaris
(as a mother, she especially enjoys hosting families and naturally adapts to keep everyone engaged)
Beyond guiding, Tammy is also a wildlife sketch artist, often sketching from photographs and sharing that creative perspective with guests—an added layer that many find unexpectedly memorable.
Tammy’s Favourites
Favourite Kruger animal
Leopard—curious, intelligent, and unpredictable, making each sighting feel intimate and special.
Favourite Kruger bird
Burchell’s Coucal (“Rain Bird”)—a call that instantly transports her into the heart of the bush.
A safari moment She’ll never forget
One of Tammy’s most humbling moments came when a lioness on a private reserve seemed to deliberately lead her vehicle through a network of roads—stopping, calling softly, and guiding them to a hidden thicket where four tiny cubs suddenly appeared. Moments later, as other pride members approached, the lioness called again and the cubs vanished back into the vegetation as if they’d never existed. It was a rare glimpse into something private—and a reminder that in the wild, you’re sometimes being allowed into a story, not just watching it.
Ethical guiding, Always
To Tammy, ethical wildlife viewing means never compromising an animal’s well being for the sake of a sighting. She prioritises respectful distances, clear boundaries, and patient, natural encounters—because that’s what creates the most authentic safari experiences.
Why guests Request Tammy?
While Tammy now spends much of her time coordinating bookings and ensuring every detail runs smoothly for Wild Photo Africa, she remains deeply connected to the safari experience. When she guides, guests receive the same calm, detail-rich approach—backed by the rare advantage of someone who understands what makes a safari exceptional from planning to finish.
